'Was it worth it?' - Wrexham fan banned for five years after setting off flare against Chesterfield

Andrew Calverley, 30, of Cunliffe Street, Wrexham, was handed the Football Banning Order (FBO), which prevents him from going to any football matches in the UK, after appearing at court recently.

He will also not be allowed to be within 2.5km of Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground on matchdays and he is banned from entering any town or city where the Red Dragons or the Welsh national team are playing an away match.

Chesterfield won the game, which took place on August 16, 2-0.

Wrexham CEO Fleur Robinson said, “This week saw the publication of stats showing football disorder is at an eight-year high in England and Wales, and we as a Football Club can only reiterate our zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviour at any of our fixtures.

“The length of this latest Football Banning Order reflects the severe consequences that can come from throwing flares, missiles or other pyrotechnics at football matches.

“As a club, we have made clear on several occasions that the use of flares has absolutely no place at the Racecourse Ground or any other football stadium.

“As well as the danger they pose to other supporters, and the damage they can cause, the unacceptable and illegal behaviour has consequences for the football club too, in the form of fines, higher costs and the threat of stadium closures.

"We hope this latest Football Banning Order reiterates the consequences to individuals found guilty of these criminal offences, and we urge everyone attending Wrexham fixtures to strongly consider this.

“I’d like to thank North Wales Police for their support once again, and we look forward to continuing to work together to ensure the Racecourse Ground remains a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for all.”

Dedicated Football Officer, PC Dave Evans, said they seen an increase locally and nationally in pyrotechnic offences.

He added: “We have seen a young Wrexham fan injured as a result of a flare being thrown, and now a football fan is banned from seeing his team for five years.

“Where appropriate we will seek banning orders for these type of offences. CCTV is getting better all the time and I wonder if the fan in question thinks it was worth it?”